Attention Jack Swarbrick! You should hire 1993 graduate & former baseball letterman, Chris Michalak, as the next baseball coach. I'm sure the program will have to interview a few candidates but this should only be a formality. Chris Michalak is the perfect coach to restore this once proud baseball program because he possesses every trait a college coach should have...especially at his alma mater. He wore the ND uniform, played professionally for 17 seasons (including 4 in the majors), has coaching experience (8 seasons with Washington Nationals), & probably most importantly, Chris is the quintessential WINNER.

In addition, he would be able to guide these young men through the rigors of being a student-athlete, especially at an academically challenging school like Notre Dame. He lived it! Personally, I would like to see Chris Michalak become the next baseball coach because I am proud to call him a former teammate. He is a true grinder...he is Notre Dame. I'm certain Chris will restore the baseball program to the level every former player and alumnus will once again be proud of.

Axford pitching Tom hamilton mentioned how ND went to the College World series in 2002 and were very successful in the Big East, but now can't even compete in the ACC. He mentioned ND has really gone down hill. Aoki needs to go soon and your suggestion is as good as any.

Arguably, won-lost record is the biggest factor (including post-season), but off-the-field issues, facilities and trends in won-lost, recruiting, etc., are also relevant.

Football -- on-field arguably a wash, although Weis left behind Te'o, Floyd and others. I'd argue that Kelly's current recruiting trend is poorer than Weis' final few years. Of course, we didn't forfeit any wins under Weis.

Men's basketball -- better, although with an inherited coach. Arena was updated/upgraded under Swarbrick, but more importantly, the allegedly forthcoming new practice facility was far too long in the making.

Women's basketball -- better in that the five straight final fours arguably eclipse the 2001 national championship, certainly in terms of sustained excellence. Again, though, with an inherited coach.

Hockey -- on the ice, roughly the same, with an inherited coach. Facilities have been radically upgraded, although by all public accounts, the lion's share of the funding came via a benefactor's relationship with the inherited coach.

Baseball -- remains mired below mediocrity; Swarbrick's hire is beyond question ill-suited for the job but just completed his seventh season -- 1 NCAA bid, two seasons with plus-.500 record.

Softball -- remained mired in mediocrity, at least if competing for championships is truly the standard.

I'll defer to others, but men's and women's tennis don't seem any better than when Swarbrick was hired; women's tennis definitely has dipped, although that may have predated Swarbrick's arrival.

Men's soccer -- approximately the same; program did win its first-ever NCAA championship during Swarbrick's tenure, with an inherited coach. Was the current (relatively new) soccer stadium funded and built during Swarbrick's tenure?

Men's lacrosse -- has reached new heights under an inherited coach; I believe the new stadium was funded and built during Swarbrick's tenure.

Women's lacrosse -- seems pretty much the same; they share the new facility with the men's team.

Volleyball -- although not a sport that I follow closely, this may be the sport that is poised to show the greatest improvement under Swarbrick. After finally getting rid of a long-time "protected" (by virtue of marriage) head coach, it appears that we have an elite head coach, although by public accounts (I have no knowledge), the head coach was pretty determined to land at Notre Dame.

Men's and women's track and cross-country -- it seems to me that all of these squads reached new heights during the latter stages of head coach Joe Piane's long career, which ended in 2013. I haven't paid close enough attention to what's happened since Piane retired.

Men's and women's golf -- no idea, although I'm aware that the men's golf coach was fired at the conclusion of the recently-completed season.

Men's and women's swimming -- no idea.

Rowing -- no idea.

Men's and women's fencing -- I know that we've recently won at least one national championship, so we've got that going for us.

5. Everything else -- B* None of his decisions outside the above categories has been particularly momentous, at least as far aa I can tell.

To calculate Swarbrick's GPA, I'd assign 5 units for football, 3 each for basketball and ACC joinder, 2 for baseball, and 2 for everything else. That gives Swarbrick 15 grade points for 15 units, for a GPA of 1.0. A tad better than Blutarsky, but not good enough by a long shot.

he has shaped the face of ND well into the future, getting us in the ACC and keeping football independent and getting us the money etc. he helped pull off the Crossroads project. He hits big time on the big issues. He is a leader among other ADs and has the respect in the sports industry e.g his deal with Under Armour, our NBC contract, our ACC contract for basketball, etc. These things far outweigh whether he makes all the correct coaching hires or fires in the minor sports (minor sports defined as those that cost the university much more than they bring in).

replacing him with Willingham, the need for Jenkins to tell him to fire TW over Malloy and White's objection, and the CW contract extension after 5 games. I'll give him Brey and Jeff Jackson, but that doesn't make up for the multiple botch jobs on FB coach hirings. Hell, we had guys like Steve Mariucci and Mark Mangino turning us down in public, even though they weren't offered.

Nothing else they might have done can overcome their dreadful oversight of Notre Dame football. They greased the skids for the decline of Notre Dame football which is the face of Notre Dame athletics. They will always be remembered as complete failures because of their mismanagement and squandering the tradition and heritage of Notre Dame football.

White's modernization and fully funding olympic sports is a pimple on a gnat's ass compared to the apologetic Willingham firing, the O'Leary hiring and firing fiasco and the Weis hiring and imprudent 10 year contract.

In my opinion, anything else that was done under their watch is of no consequence or is outweighed by their failure of managing ND football in ranking their performance. As a result I rank them as equals at the bottom. We will just need to agree to disagree on the ranking criteria and results.

Those both look like albatrosses right now. And the NBC deal is a partnership that far preceded anything he had to do with. In fact, under his watch, ND has watered down the deal to allow for NBC Sports coverage.

The ACC deal was about what anyone could've gotten us. The market dictated the ACC's move. A big hitter wouldn't have let them dictate five games to us.

And it would've been easier to make all these deals and for greater benefit to ND if he could hire an elite coach. It's really the only issue that really matters.

He epitomizes being a small hitter on big issues. People confuse the size of the issue with the quality of the hit.

It isn't just that he doesn't have the ability to hire elite coaches. It's that he's shown no recognition of the need to. If he shitcans Aoki (or Kelly) and then strikes out on their replacements that sucks but at least he knew enough to know that a change was necessary. As is, he doesn't even see a need to make a change in the first place.

What's so special about continuing to renew the NBC contract that has been in place since the 1990 season? Has he negotiated significantly higher broadcast rights fees from our "partner?" Have the production values improved? Has he held NBC's feet to the fire about starting times? Has he kept all of our home games off a cable network that many ND alumni and fans don't receive?

Aside from whether the ACC contract was good or even necessary to preserve football independence, could he have negotiated fewer than five annual ACC football games?

And while I obviously made my post on the baseball site, Jack's stewardship of the football program warrants immediate termination. His disregard of the baseball program is just icing on the cake.

He'd be an excellent choice...perhaps the greatest benefit in addition to an infusion of new energy-- anyone coming in as new hire who's not low hanging fruit will demand the changes in the program that will put it on at least competitive ground relative to ACC.

Chris gets it and would bring the energy and understanding of ND baseball identity that's been lacking

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